Purpose: The effects of supply chain risk management (SCRM) on the performance of a supply chain
remain unexplored. It is assumed that SCRM helps supply chains to cope with vulnerabilities
both proactively by supporting robustness and reactively by supporting agility. Both
dimensions are assumed to have an influence on supply chain performance and on business
performance. This research is aimed at providing clarity by empirically testing these
hypotheses and scrutinizing the findings by the means of case studies.
Design/methodology/approach: The research is empirical. Survey data was collected from 270 manufacturing companies for
hypotheses testing via structural equation modeling. Additionally, qualitative data was
collected to explore the nature of non-hypothesized findings.
Findings: It is found that SCRM is important for agility and robustness of a company. Both agility and
robustness show to be important in improving performance. While agility has a strong
positive effect only on supply chain performance, but not directly on business performance,
robustness has a strong positive effect on both performance dimensions. This important
finding directs the strategic attention from agility-centered supply chains to ones that are both
robust and agile. The case studies provide insights to the fact that robustness can be
considered a basic prerequisite to deal with supplier-side risks, while agility is necessary to
deal with customer-side risks. The amount of agility and robustness needs to fit to the
competitive strategy.
Practical implications: Since volatility has increasingly become a prevalent state of supply chains, companies need
to consider robustness to be of primary importance to withstand everyday risks and
exceptions.
Originality/value: This is the first study to view the relationship between SCRM, agility/robustness, and
performance.

Purpose: This research explores the resilience domain, which is important in the field of supply chain
management; it investigates the effects relational competencies have for resilience and the effect
resilience, in turn, has on a supply chain’s customer value.
Design/methodology/approach: The research is empirical in nature and employs a confirmatory approach that builds on the relational
view as a primary theoretical foundation. It utilizes survey data collected from manufacturing firms
from three countries, which is analyzed using structural equation modeling.
Findings: It is found that communicative and cooperative relationships have a positive effect on resilience, while
integration does not have a significant effect. It is also found that improved resilience, obtained by
investing in agility and robustness, enhances a supply chain’s customer value.
Practical implications: Some findings contrast the expectations derived from theory. Particularly, practitioners can learn that
integration has a limited role in enhancing resilience.
Originality/value:
The study distinguishes between a proactive and reactive dimension of resilience: robustness and
agility. The relational view serves as the theoretical basis to explain the effects between three types of
relational competencies (communication, cooperation, and integration) and the above-mentioned two
dimensions of resilience.